[b]A Trip to Hell[/b]


Coal woke up with a pained groan that weirdly echoed in his ears, though he wasn't sure whether it was the room he was in, or just inside his head. It was dark and far to warm to be night time, so it had to be a room. His eyes only adjusted slowly and he felt as though an Aspirin just brought him release form a massive headache. Where was he? This wasn't his bed - far too hard. His memory was a bit tattered still, though he could have sworn he was on his way back from--

"Greetings, mortal!" a chipper, kinda husky voice suddenly said. The words pounded in Coal's skull, as if this someone was talking right into his ears, both at once, though he sounded friendly at least. He also sounded like a him, didn't he? "The name is Chagama and I am deliriously happy to welcome you to your eternal damnation in Hell, right here under my humble, most esteemed care. Where you will suffer for your many sins for all time - or until the Grand Cockalorum, whose name we don't say here, will - in his immeasurable mercy, grace and fine slippers - grant you redemption. I know this must all be very confusing for your adorable, mortal peabrain, but don't worry, I'm here to assist you and I will make your stay here as unpleasant as I possibly can! And before you ev--"

"Wait, wait! What?!" the husky stammered, blinking rapidly to finally adjust his eyes to the dark. It worked, though what he saw was neither a room, nor a night sky, or... any sky! It seemed as thought he was inside a cave - a massive one! The ceiling had to be about a thousand foot tall and was hung with flimsy, black clouds. The only light that illuminated the rocky area he found himself in, came from fires that blazed away in the distance. "Where am... W-what did you just say?!"

"Ugh," the voice sighed in annoyance. "You're a smart one, huh? Alright, I'll say it real slow now, so you soulbag can understand: My. Name. Chagama. I am. Very. Happy--"

"No, not that!" Coal interrupted the guy and tried to get up. The Earth felt like dry, fine dust under his pads and clung to his skin and fur. "What was tha-ah-HAUGH!" with pure shock, the husky landed right back on his butt and scuttled backwards through the dirt. What he saw had to be a hallucination, or a nightmare!

Right there, in front of his wide open eyes, stood a figure that made Coal's blood freeze. He appeared canine and had fur, though that was about the only thing he and Coal had in common. The man's fur was pitch black with unnaturally red markings on his shoulders, hips and tail. His belly and muzzle was white and so were his digits, which looked coincidentally similar to Coal's own. Though his strange coat was hardly the most alien thing about this Chagama! His blood red eyes glowed like fire and on his head two pointy, crimson horns sprouted from his skull like those of the devil. He looked rather annoyed by Coal's behavior, though remained calm and stared down upon him with mild curiosity.

"What was what?!" the demonic canine spat, his words sharp as a knife. "The part about being in Hell for eternal damnation? Well, you're dead, bright spark, congratulations! Now, can we go on with--"

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU?!"

Chagama blinked once, his softly gleaming eyes like warm embers. Then he flashed a wide grin that showed his sharp fangs. "Well, thanks for noticing. I'm one of the Underworld's finest hellhounds, tasked with guarding all of Hell, punishing sinners, spreading fear and havoc, you know the drill. And on this terribly terrific day, I am all at your service, Coal!" Quite cocky he put a hand to his forehead and smoothed the black fur between his horns.

Coal gulped. "This can't be..." He blinked his eyes. Then once more, though the hellhound was still there and so was the abysmal wasteland all around them. "I'm dreaming." He slapped his face - and could actually feel the pain. "This is just a nightmare. I'm not dead. I can't be dead!"

Though Chagama knew better. "Oh, you can! All mortals can die, that's why they're called mortals." He tilted his head slightly as he inspected the cowering dog. "Say, you haven't exactly been a professor in your pre-death, have you?"

Coal didn't answer. He rubbed his eyes, pulled his ears, pinched his arm, but he wouldn't wake up. And all of this felt less and less like a dream by the minute! He could hear a sort of creepy wind in the distance, the air smelled sulfuric and of smoke. The ground he sat on was hard and felt warm, like a heated bathroom floor. "Wh..." He held his head and tried to focus, but what he sought wasn't there. He couldn't remember. But if he was here and here was real, then he had to remember! "How did I die...?" he pleaded the hellhound, his only source of information in this horrible, horrible place. "This has to be a mistake!"

Chagama laughed heartily. "If I'd grown a hair for every time I've heard that line, I'd be covered in fur." He looked down on himself. "Oh wait, I am! Hahaha!" Then he came a little step closer and his glowing eyes burned right through the black and white husky at his paws. "Trust me, you are exactly where you belong, mortal. Death doesn't make mistakes!" Idly he snapped his fingers and a faint cloud of black smoke emitted out of nowhere. It soon accumulated into an obscure plume from which the tall canine pulled a book. A hefty, ancient tome bound in what Coal hoped was just leather, though the ribs that stretched the surface into grotesque shapes suggested otherwise. Despite its size, Chagama handled the book as though it weighed nothing. "But I'm in a good mood today, so we might as well take a peek. I'm kinda curious, you died young and don't look like a junkie, or gang mob. Aww, I love gang mobs, they scream like little girls..."

Perplexed Coal watched as the brute read up on... whatever.  And now that Chagama wasn't looking his way, the husky actually dared to study his intimidating host a bit closer. This wolf - no, hellhound? - was huge! Somewhere around six and a half feet, he estimated, and easily twice as much mass as Coal himself sported, and the guy was buff! The deceased husky also couldn't help but notice that Chagama was merely clad with a tattered pair of pants that almost matched the darkness of his pelt. And he had like... were those piercings in his nipples?!

"Coady... Coan... Coal, there you are!", the creepy canine mumbled as he skimmed through the lines. Then he suddenly outright laughed to the sky - or, well, ceiling - and finally grinned down at the husky. "Oh boy, oh boy, if that isn't an embarrassing death! You got isekaied, buddy! Pulled a snack bar from the vending machine, crossed the road and - boom! - got steamrolled my a semi. Hahaha!"

"C-coconut crunch...", Coal whispered under his breath and, for a brief second, thought there was something in his hand. But when he closed his fist, it was empty.

Chagama sneered from behind the book. "Coconut? For that alone you deserve everything I'm going to do to you!" In anticipation he licked his lips and the tongue that came out of his muzzle was far too long and pointy to belong to a canine!

That sentence, so full of nasty joy and cold seriousness, made Coal shudder. He was dead. He was dead and in Hell. And this sneering demon was here to torture him. He was dead! With watery eyes the husky saw up into the wads of smoke, hoping for a holy light to shine through and amend this terrible mistake. Surely an angle just put his file into the wrong cabinet by accident. His list of good deeds just slipped under the desk and the charlady would find it any moment now and give the big boss a call. "Hff... what did I do to deserve this...?"

"Now, now, I'm getting to that", Chagama said with a hint of excitement as he flipped through the pages of the book of death. Seeing him so adept, was kinda even soothing to Coal, although not much. "Hm, hm, hmm... Lied to your boss about his embarrassing vacation photo... Used the Grand Schemer's name frivolously... Ignored old granny in the super market when she couldn't reach the ketchup... Nah, that won't grant you a permanent stay here." Idly the hellhound flipped another  page and drew his white finger over the rough sheets where ancient ink (or probably more gruesome substances) have long dried into the paper. "Oh! Didn't rectify gossip about the new guy, even though you knew better, just because he was getting the same pay as you right off the bat. Now we're cooking with gas!"

Awkwardly, Coal fidgeted. "I... just didn't want to get involved in drama..." There's no way you'd go to Hell for something like that!

"Dropped the saran warp in the forest after the picnic, because you didn't want the mayonnaise to seep into your backpack on the way home. Uh-oh, Ol' Sunshine doesn't like it when you don't care about the environment he so meticulously jury-rigged!" His finger moved on to the next line and followed the illegible script. Then he stopped and his black ears flicked. "No way! Dude! What the Heaven have you done?!"

The accused husky ducked his head. What - what could it be?! He was no murderer, never took someone else' money, he wasn't a hateful dog. Well, okay, he got pretty braggy when that absolute bomb of a guy flirted with him in the bar that one time - he told all his friends how the hot guys are after him. But c'mon, what's so bad about feeling good once in a while?!

Transfixed with Coal's record, the hellhound turned another page. "Since day one... Not a grain of remorse, or regret, not even an apology - at least not a serious one... Spied on his porn... Broke his record player and didn't tell him... Stole his trunks at the beach..." He froze for a second. "You made him do WHAT?! I can't even say that out loud or my FBI Agent will throw up! And you did all that to your best friend in the world? Bro!" Briefly Chagama peered over the rim of the massive book that hid him and gave a nod of approvement. "Respect, Coal. You really wanted to pay me a visit, eh?" With his deadly red eyes back in the book, the hellhound's grin only widened. "Aww, he even held a really touching speech at your funeral. Man, that guy's going to Heaven for sure!"

"Whu- but..." Perplexed Coal was at a loss for words. THAT'S THE REASON HE WAS SENT TO HELL??? "Th-that's not fair! That... that wasn't serious!" he protested. "He was playing pranks on me too! He was into it! He LIKED what I did with him! He fucking wanted it! I can't go to Hell for this!"

Chagama chuckled amused. "Someone with a lot of say apparently thinks otherwise." With a loud snap, he closed the ominous book and let it magically disappear in a black smoke cloud. "You didn't hear this from me, but the Big Cheese up there is actually a fox, can you believe that?" Defensively he then held his hands up into the air. "Not saying that he's biased or anything, of course! Our wise and infallible." With a big smile towards the ceiling, his raised hands then both turned into a thumbs up. "All good, Gramps?" Nothing happened. "Yeah, he loves me. It feels good to be appreciated for my work."

With a twitch in his brow, Coal looked up at the lunatic demon. What the actual fuck?! Before this Chagama guy could lower his gaze again, Coal turned and made a dash. His steps echoed through the emptiness and the husky ran so fast that the dirt, ash, bone dust, or whatever it was the ground was covered with, got swirled up. Coal didn't look back, he didn't slow down, he just ran. Across the rocky wasteland that apparently was Hell. He had no direction, no point of orientation and also no cover. At best he could have jumped behind a boulder, but such a stop might as well be his end when the hellhound caught up to him. So Coal just ran, towards a humongous stone column that rose all the way to the ceiling, though it was so far away that he barely came closer. He just ran.

There had to be a way out of here, the husky told himself. There just had to! A gate, a holy spot of light, a stairway to Heaven - anything! Though there was none, just rock and stone and smoke and fire and an unbearable heat that made Coal pant. He knew he couldn't run forever, but at this point he was afraid to turn around. Though he could train his ears back! His own steps were loud, but aside from that he only heard rippling sand - no pursuer. "Heh." A faint smile flashed over his haggard face. A little victory at least. To make sure his ears didn't betray him, Coal eventually dared to peer over his shoulder and was relieved. Just a long cloud of stirred dust followed him, like in one of those old cartoons.

WHAMS!!!

For the second time that day, the husky's world got turned upside down. He didn't know what it was he ran into, but it felt like a wall. It certainly send him hurling backwards with a few very sore spots and a cluster of little, golden fox angles flying around his head. Coal blinked a few times and made to resume his flight. He couldn't slack - not now! Though when he looked up at what had put such a sudden end to his escape, the husky froze and the warm ground suddenly felt cold. It was Chagama!

He simply stood there, tall and imposing, with his arms crossed and his judging eyes fixed on the once again prostrated dog. He wasn't panting, wasn't sweating. "And where do you think you are going?"

Coal repeated his plan from earlier: Turn and run. Though Chagama merely snapped his fingers and a blazing ring of fire encircled the husky, to trap him and his captor inside. The flames felt hot on his pelt and they rose two times higher than the hellhound stood. There was no escape!

Steps crunched through the burnt earth behind the husky. "Face me!"

With a shudder and his head hung, Coal obeyed. The only thing he could do now, was trying not to anger this beast.

"We've wasted enough time," Chagama declared. "Your suffering will begin now. We don't have forever, after all." A mean chuckle broke his resolute tone. "Just a Hell joke. Of course we have forever!"

Cowering, Coal put his hands above his head. "Oh God, please help me!"

"DON'T say that name!" Chagama growled with daunting wrath in his voice - and not only that! Smoke and sparks wafted from his muzzle and his eyes burned so hot that the air in front of them flickered. His stubby horns grew an inch or two and the black and red pelt on his shoulders and back billowed like flames. "I will not hear you call him again! You dead bodies always pray for the Old Grump to come and get you. Beg on your knees for him to show mercy as if being here wasn't your own, damn fault. Guess what: He ain't coming! You will beg -me- from now on! CHA-GA-MA! In this world, hellhounds bring salvation, not His Holy Pompousness. I am your redeemer!"

Completely frightened, Coal nodded repeatedly with his forehead pressed to the ground. Satan himself could possible not be more dreadful than this hellspawn! So much for his plan not to anger him...

Though the hellhound did harness his ire after a moment. The glow in his red eyes cooled down and he blew a trail of smoke from his nostrils, while his fur smoothed and his horns shrunk back to normal. "Well then: Beg!", Chagama demanded. "You will worship me from now on. And you will start at the very bottom!" Demandingly he scooted his white-toed paw over the dusty ground to draw his victim's attention to said bottom.

Carefully Coal looked up and shuddered at what he saw. This close up he really got aware of the difference in size between himself and Chagama. The paw that stood in front of him, could cover his entire face!

"Lick!"

Disbelieving, the husky's baby blue eyes peered further up. And from that perspective, the hulking hellhound looked just as gigantic and insurmountable as the stone column that carried Hell's ceiling had. That being was carved from devilish, black marble and painted in the most terrifying colors.

"And if you dare call him again just one more time, I'll wash your filthy tongue in magma!"

Defeated he lowered his gaze again and gulped. There was nothing a mere husky could do against this monster. He could just... "Ah~" Hesitantly Coal dragged his tongue over the hellhound's middle toe, fearing to feel needles, or to lose his organ of taste to acid from just touching Chagama. Neither happened, though. Only the taste of ash and dust and the prickling feeling of fur remained on his tongue. He didn't dare to stop!

"Don't misunderstand me, mortal. I love our Dingus Maximus," Chagama explained, while receiving Coal's oral adoration with glee. "But hearing you sinners use his name so thoughtlessly..."

Coal didn't know why - the lights around them didn't change - but he suddenly felt as though a menacing shadow was looming above him. A warm, suffocating shadow that threatened his bare existence. The husky's black fur bristled and he licked harder.

"Foolish mortals like you always see us hellhounds a something evil. As terrible creatures banished here for being atrocious. Lurking to feed on the dead. Hell's horrible henchmen!" He chuckled. "Well we are! But we've got feelings too. And we take great pride in our work! We torture you day in, day out, hear your pathetic lies, feast on your desperate whines and screams of terror, make you regret all your filthy sins. We get our paws dirty for your redemption, and yet you ungrateful morsels implore only the Holy Biggun." With contempt Chagama raised his other paw from the ground and gently put it down on the back of Coal's head. Then he forced his nose down into the soft, white fur of his paw and grinned when he felt that frightened tongue slither between his toes. "Do you really think he's got so much free time that he can show up here and listen to a condemned sinner's plea? I am doing his work here, and you will acknowledge that!"

"Ah-huh!" Coal made with his tongue trapped in that stuffy, warm place and nodded as best he could. He didn't understand everything that guy said, but agreed nonetheless. Anything to stay on his good side!

"Great. Now that that's settled..." Entirely uncaring about the husky on the floor, Chagama took his paw from Coal's head and instead brought it down between his shoulders. "Let's start your punishment for real!" Then he simply trod down and mounted his victim.

In an instant Coal's upper torso was flattened. "Hgnn-AAAHURGH!" His shoulder blades got forcefully folded back and his collarbones strained, while the massive paw on his back bent his spine down into his body, where it felt as though it was touching his ribs. "Ahhrchf!" Breathing was impossible like this and the husky's pained shriek got stuck in his throat.

Chagama smiled at the delightful sounds. Comfortably and without even swaying on his victim, he put his second paw down as well and allowed his weight to crush the husky. "Sorry for that little lecture, I hope you won't hold it against me. It's nothing personal, just... when you've been working this job for as long as I have, it gets kinda frustrating to hear your clients beg someone else for mercy, while I am the one putting in all the effort."

"Urrgh-Argh... uh-huh..."

"But that one slip up shall not stand between us. You didn't know better and I forgive you, sinner. And I promise to make you suffer immeasurable dolors for as long as it takes to redeem your soul - and if it might be forever. I take my work very seriously, so you can count on me!"

"Hrmmmgh-hgmmmm... Kch!"

"I'm actually glad we're getting along so well, thus far. There's nothing worse than a toxic work environment. Some hellhounds really go all out with their grim image, but I always try to get along with my charges. Just because I'm your tormentor for all eternity, doesn't mean we can't have a professional conduct, right?"

"Gha-fff! Hrchfff! Urghffff..."

"What's the matter, mortal? You're so silent all of a sudden."

Not voluntarily, though, as Coal meant to say by slamming his fist against the ground in desperation. He couldn't breath anymore, could barely move and his ribcage felt as though it was about to burst to pieces. This demon could very well be made out of marble, for his paws might be soft and warm, but Chagama weighed as much as stone!

The unrelenting hellspawn chuckled at the sight beneath his feet. "Don't tell me that's already all you're able to take. You wouldn't disappoint me like that!" Softly shuffling on the husky's groaning back, Chagama put his paws a bit closer together on Coal's upper half to concentrate his mass on a smaller spot for maximum pain. Despite his imperious size, he moved quite dainty. "Because I assure you, mortal, I can - and will - come up with far, far worse ways to make you pay for your misdeeds. Your current situation, for example, could already be a lot more painful. Just imagine you'd be laying on a sharp rock!" he said and then snapped his fingers.

And, sure enough, beneath the husky something protruded from the earth and poked him right between the ribs. "Ugh?! AURRRGH!"

Chagama only laughed, his smokey voice echoing through the vast emptiness of Hell. "Well? Are you regretting your sins already?

Out of breath, Coal nodded his head vehemently, while he tried to hold back a tear. "Hrch... ffff-y-yefff! ARCK!" What was left of his voice gave out completely when Chagama stepped on the back of his neck and crushed his throat against the coarse earth.

"Don't even try that. I can smell your lies from a mile away!", he warned with a prideful wag of his tail. No one could fool a hellhound! "Oh, by the way: I think it goes without saying, but lying to me is a big no-no if you want to reach salvation before Hell freezes over." He tilted his head in thought. "Why do you surfacers even say that? Hell is partially frozen over, sometimes it even snows. Do you guys up there think that the Ice Caverns are spreading, or something? That's silly, the rest of Hell is too warm, it would melt." A harrowed wheezing from below pulled Chagama out of his thoughts. "Oh, yeah, sorry. You're still new here, but I can't let that slip." He snapped his fingers. "But I'll at least go easy on you, since it was your first offense. Sound fair?"

"Hrmm..." In apprehension, Coal closed his eyes and expected another rock to jut from the ground, though he didn't feel anything - at least not at first! "Ghrm?" With his throat still pressed to the floor, he noticed it there first: The temperature rose! "Hchfmmm...!" The warm stone beneath him turned warmer, then hot. And once the heat had seeped completely through Coal's thick pelt, it stung on his skin. It wasn't burning hot, thanks Go-- thanks Chagama! But it felt like full-body contact with a hot-water bag that was filled with boiling water. "Gkrmchf! Hm-hm-hmmmm! AHRRRGHK!"

The hellhound perked his ears at what was music to him. Nothing better than a screaming sinner to start the work day! "That's pretty rad, eh?" Effortlessly he held the struggling canine down with nothing but his heft, pressing him to the hot grill like a patty. "I can go way hotter than this still! But  I don't want to melt your flesh away just yet. Mm, you're cute..."

Coal missed both, the threat as well as the hushed compliment. He was too busy getting his front scalded! "Hrwwt! Cmmnd... Pwrrs! Fwtph...!"

"Oh, the puppy wants to say something?", Chagama suspected, though calmly kept standing on the husky to watch him suffer. He loved those sweet, first tears of a freshly condemned soul! Sweet and hot tears in this case! He could smell them evaporate on the simmering stones.

"Ghrrrrwf! Hg-ghrrrrmwf!"

"Alright, alright!", the hellhound laughed, really living up to his kinds' name in terms of cruelty. "I said I'd go easy on you..." With a hint of something that could be described as mercy - or not - Chagama then stepped off the agonized husky.

"GHMK-HARRRGCHKCH!!!"

Though in doing so, the devilish beast raised the paw that stood on Coal's back first, which resulted in a brief, but very, very painful moment in which Chagama's entire wight came down on the poor dog's neck and crushed it in ways no living person should rightfully be able to survive. Which wasn't a big problem, since Coal was already dead!

Once free, the husky immediately clutched his throat and rolled off the hot spot and through the dirt to cool himself off. Since the rest of Hell was also a rather warm place, though, that endeavor was rather unrewarding. "Grrmf- ACK!" Coal made in an attempt to clear his aching throat. "Pf-hff-please...!"

"Yes?" Chagama rejoiced with his hand cupping his perked ear. "Starting to repent your sins, I hope!"

"P-please..." Coal shuddered, despite the heat. "Stop this madness." He touched his chest to feel whether he was burned there, though to his luck he couldn't detect any wounds. Just very smooth fur - like flat ironed! "I'll do anything you want!"

"Correct!"

Still panting heavily, Coal slowly crawled backwards to bring some distance between himself and the towering, black canine, even though he knew by now that that alone wouldn't help him. This guy was absolutely remorseless. "I-I will!" he promised. "I will repent. I will repent my sins!"

Chagama tilted his head and puckered his lips as he judged Coal's words. "Hrmm... nah, that would be too easy! I don't think you really mean it yet. We're just..." he checked his wrist, even though there was no watch around it. "...twenty minutes into your eternity. That's hardly enough time to truly feel sorry about your wrongdoings. We'll continue. Get up now, please."

The husky lowered his head in a desperate plea. "Please no..."

Though the seasoned hellhound wouldn't put up with a wimpy sinner's breakdown! Coal was here to be tortured - for all Chagama cared, he could cry all he wants during lunchtime, when he would hang him upside down, or fry him in boiling oil. But right now, he had a job to do! Calmly he drew in a deep breath. "I said, GET UP, SINNER!"

The barked command didn't only rattle Coal's bones and resound through all of Hell, but was also laced with infernal force that pulled the cowering husky up into a standing position. He shuddered and tucked his tail when Chagama approached him with determination in his gleaming eyes. "Wu-wha...?" Though instead of punches, whips, fire breath, poisonous bites, or a searing touch, he only got turned around and straightened some more. Coal's confusion only cleared, when the giant canine creature took hold of both his shoulders and started climbing him. "Urrgh, wait..." When Chagama hopped on to get into a piggy back position, Coal instinctively put his arms under his legs, though apparently, that wasn't enough yet for the hellhound.

"If you drop me, or break down, I will write my name into your hide with a branding iron - letter after letter! - got it?!" A bit awkwardly, but without much effort, Chagama climbed further up and compressed the husky's slender body more and more with his weight. Eventually the massive hellhound took a seat on Coal's shoulders and let his sturdy legs dangle over his front. It was an odd sight for sure with their different physics, like a father sitting on his son's shoulders to watch the soccer game. "Now walk!"

"Grrrmf-what?!" Feeling every pound of that demon in his spine, knees and ankles as a threatening pressure, Coal barely managed to keep standing. "I c-can't!" His back sagged further under the immense burden. "You're too heavy..." Coal heard a snap with the fingers. "No! Please, wait! Augh?! Ahh! Ahirgh!" The ground once again began to simmer and burned Coal's pads like hot asphalt on a summer day. Clumsily he raised his paws to get his soles off the hot surface and in doing so stumbled forward slightly every time. And every time his agonized soles got pressed to that stove top again. The only thing missing was that sizzling sound.

"When I say something, sinner, you obey!" Chagama said, idly putting one arm down on top of the husky's head to make himself comfortable on his staggering ride. "I won't accept a no from you, and dawdling will be punished immediately! Is that understood?"

"Ah, yes!" the husky squeaked with his tongue hanging out. This guy was not only heavy as fuck, but also hot! The firm haunches that encircled Coal's neck felt like a fluffy, black scarf. In Hell. Where it's hot! "Gurgh... w-where are we going...?" he dared to ask, hoping that the answer would not be a place of indescribable horror. But he at least wanted to mentally prepare if it was.

Though Chagama only shrugged. "Wherever you want, it doesn't matter to me. I can torment you anywhere in Hell."

"Eh..." Great, so he was just riding him around for the heck of if! Though what was the alternative to that? Getting branded by this behemoth?! "Urgch..." Walking over hot stones was already bad enough. Why couldn't he have woken up in that Ice Cavern at least?! He was a husky, dammit - this hot weather alone was torture! "And, urgh... h-how long do I have to carry you like this?" He already was terrified of the answer.

"Until I have to heat up my branding irons. Chahaha!" Cruelly he gave the dog he sat on a kick in the stomach. "Now go faster! I want to feel the wind in my mane, haha!"

Panting hard already, Coal fearfully did his best to comply, though laden with such a heavy burden, every painfully hot step was a drudge. His shoulders sagged under Chagama's butt and he was forced to hunch, which only strained his back more. Worse than that still, however, was yet another sound the hellhound made. Not a finger snapping this, time, but a loud whistle that traveled far through the Underworld. Shuddering, the maltreated husky envisioned what demonic tricks would aggravate his Afterlife next. Foul gas? Thorns lining his path? Shackles to make his arduous steps even more tiring? He wasn't far off!

A flock of small creatures came flying towards them, and landed one by one beside the husky's shuffling paws. They barely reached up to his knees, but looked perilous. All of them were so thin that Coal could see the bones beneath their dark red skin. Their gnarled faces reminded him of mindless alien monsters and they were cackling like mad hyena pups. He counted five, or six of them, and as they gathered around him, Cola noticed that they were armed with thin, dangerously pointy metal spears that looked like oversized, rusty needles. "Ow!" They readily started poking his legs with them. "Ah! Ow! What are those?!"

"Imps", Chagama informed him. "Don't worry they're mostly harmless. I called them to keep the motivation up for ya. They'll get bored and leave eventually when you admit your sins to them - if you do so sincerely and with remorse, that is!"

"Wh-what?! You can't be serious!" The loaded husky stumbled and nearly lost his balance when one of those imps poked him in the calf. "Ow! I c-can't walk like this! Argh!"

Chagama's voice turned a notch darker. "You know what that means..." he rejoiced and held something up for the dog to see. Another one of his cryptically appearing tools. It was a long metal stick, similar to those of the imps, but the end of this one was forming a big C - and the steel was gleaming white-hot!

All of a sudden, the horde of imps that assaulted his legs wasn't so bad anymore and Coal picked up speed, while Chagama laughed above him. He positively couldn't have done enough bad in his lifetime to deserve this. No one could! This was Hell! No, this was worse than Coal could ever have imagined Hell to be!

"How about a little bet to make this more interesting?" Chagama offered with a nasty chuckle. "If you can get rid of the imps before you break down, I won't give you an autograph. But if you can't, I'll sign your front AND back so everyone can see whose bitch you are! But keep in mind: Gambling is a sin and you know what I do with sinners!


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"Uhg... aurghh...! I'm sorry, uff-hff... that I took his l-last strawberry pudding, argh... without asking..." Coal stammered as he forced his left leg forth one more time. His paw scraped through the dust and got pressed right back to the magically heated rock floor with the full force of Chagama's weight. "Urrrch! And I'm sss-orgh... s-sorry, huff, for breaking his record placer, hrnng... and not telling him... Agh!" Another painful step was taken. "Urff, it was a mistake, I swear! But I admit, I thought he would - Ow! - wouldn't find out about it. Ourchk!"

With a hateful, cackling screech, the last imp finally took off into the air and vanished in the distance. He'd made it! His sore legs were wobbling uncontrollably and felt like granny's pincushion, but he'd made it. All imps were gone and Coal still stood upright with his hellhound on his shoulders.

The husky stopped and carefully peered up, while his soles got roasted. He swore, every now and then the faint wind carried a whiff of bacon with it. Coal knew this demon probably had no scruples to break his word, but right now that word was his last hope and he implored the grim, but happy looking canine with his tired blue eyes.

Chagama laughed. "You did it! And just in time for my tea break, too." He patted the husky's sweaty head and then stretched his own arms above his head, after the long ride. The simple motion send a new, unnecessarily cruel wave of pain through Coal's bones. "I wouldn't have thought you would succeed this fast, especially since the imps seemed particularly dogged today, heh! It's a pity I won't get to hear your screams while I perpetuate my name in your flesh, but I'm a hound of my word - at least when it comes to gambling... sometimes, anyway."

Coal barely registered his words. Panting and almost on his knees already, he used his last breath to whimper, "Please...! Let me rest! I beg you!"

And after another moment of painful suspense, the saving words came, plain and uncaring. "Okay, you may get down now", Chagama said, though made no move himself to dismount the dog.

In the end, it didn't matter. Coal's body simply gave in after this ordeal. He dropped to his knees with a kneecap shattering, "Aurgh!" leaned forward with a spine bending, "hurrrghch!" and finally tried to catch himself on his hands, but failed and instead slammed down on his elbows, while Chagama only softened his own fall in the last second to let Coal experience the maximum force of his plunge. "Gwoargh!"

"Yeah, perfect, stay like this," the hellhound said and scooted down over Coal's sagging back for a more comfortable seat. Then he snapped his fingers.

In terror, Coal closed his eyes and prayed to God, Orcus, Hades, Anubis, Yama, Enma, Odin and the Flying Spaghetti Mopnster to spare him more of Chagama's hardships. Whether he was heard, or not remained unclear, though he at least felt no immediate pain - at least not any more than he already was in. His spine was about to break in two, with that heavy brute sitting on him!

This time, Chagama's magic arts merely produced a soft 'whoosh' beside the huddled dog, followed by a gentle crackling and the soft touch of warmth in Coal's side. When he dared to look, he expected his tormentor to heat up his assortment of branding irons, though only found Chagama setting an ancient looking tea kettle onto the fire. Coal almost bit his tongue, but the enormous pain he was in eventually let him utter his humble plea, "P-please... would it be too much to ask to get off of me now? I... I c-cant not more!"

"Yes, it would." He shattered Coal's hope with a pleased grin as he prepared his well-deserved rest. "What part of 'eternal punishment' did you not understand? You have no right to a break. Be grateful I'm brewing my tea, instead of you!"

Defeated Coal let his head hang, while doing his best to keep himself and the hellhound sitting on him up. He was more than exhausted, his joints were aching, though compared to what he already was through, having a broad, warm butt on his back was almost relief.

Carefully Coal peered over his shoulder and felt the stiffness in his neck. He expected to also experience Chagama's piercing gaze, but the hellhound was pretty engrossed in his brew. He wore the hide of a monster, though appeared quite civilized and companionable the way he carefully added some herbs, or roots to the water with a faint smile.

With heavy eyes Coal watched a drop of sweat fall from his forehead. It landed on the warm stones beneath and dried up swiftly. "Can I ask you something...?"

"But of course! I'm here to serve," Chagama said with a warm grin and a happy wag of his tail as he poured his strong and spicy smelling tea into a simple clay cup. He drank the still bubbling liquid as though it was nothing, but showed genuine pleasure as he tasted the tea.

"Why... You seem like a decent guy... Why do you do these awful tings?"

If he hadn't been a creature of fire, heat and hotness, Chagama might have blushed a bit. "Aww, thanks, you little charmer! But if this is an attempt to appeal to my kindness, it won't work. I am a hellhound!" he declare with pride. "Unlike you, I was not born with a soul. Well, I was, but not the way you mortals are. I was created with a purpose, with duty: To guard Hell and punish sinners. There is no sin, no crime, or atrocity, that I'm not capable of! I can murder you, rape you, eat your firstborn while you watch, infuse you with nightmares until you go insane and hurt you in ways so gruesome that detailing them here might offend the reader. I can punish every imaginable sin with something equally condemnable. That's my job. That is why I was created."

With a dry gulp Coal internalized that as a warning to stay on the right path. Still, though, "That - no offense! - but that sounds like an awful way of living. Are you really content with that?"

With a smile, Chagama peered down at the husky he currently abused as chair and winked. "Nice try! But I'm not only content with my life, I savor it. I've got an important and fulfilling task, my service is appreciated, I can be myself and have fun, and Hell is just a great place to be! Well... not if you're a sinner, obviously, heh!" In a pitying (or possibly also patronizing) gesture, Chagama patted Coal's cheek. Then he let his warm palm linger there and flashed a prankish smile. "Shall I tell you something?"

Coal's poor heart was already on the edge and just skipped another beat, but he eventually nodded. As long as Chagama was having his little tea time, he at least wasn't assaulting him with imps! And maybe - just maybe - there still was some way for him to win this demon over. Just a little bit. Fuck, he was clutching at every straw here!

"But mum's the word, alright!" he chuckled, though then adapted a slightly more serious tone. "Actually, we don't really torture you for all eternity here. Do you have any idea how long that would be?! There's only one thing that's eternal and that's our Platypus Primus up there. Eternal damnation would not serve a purpose. It would also get pretty crammed down here! We just tell sinners that they'll be here forever, to rob them of any hope for a happy ending, to make their time here even more unbearable. Although, the worst of you indeed stay here for quiiiiite a while." He sighed with just the slightest bit of... it wasn't fatigue, or even frustration, it was more like... longing? "We hellhounds, though? We really stay here for eternity. Well, not really for eternity, even we die eventually, but you know what I mean."

"How, urgh... how old are you...?" Coal asked to keep him talking.

"Me?" Chagama puffed his black and white chest a bit. "Eight hundred and twenty-nine years in the service of Hell - and going strong! Of course there are way older hellhounds than me. There's this one guy, Shabti, he's been around since the upper earthers build the pyramids of Giza, and is in charge of the really bad cases. Even I am afraid of him."

"Hff, hard to believe..." the husky murmured in his predicament, though then bit his tongue when he realized that Chagama might have heard. But if he had, then he took it as a compliment. With a dangerous trembling in his weak arms, Coal then asked, "So, uh... w-why did you tell me that? Mrrf... About not being here for eternity. D-does that mean, you're done with me?" The slightest glimmer of hope flashed in his blue eyes.

Though Chagama was swift to suffocate it with a joyous laugh. "You wish! There's plenty more for you in store yet. I'm just getting warmed up!" The hellhound suddenly rose from his seat. "Speaking of which, I think we should continue now."

The release Coal felt when that heavy butt was lifted off his back, was a bittersweet one. He feared what would come next and cowered under Chagama's eager eyes. "N-no, wait! We were talking so nicely, please sit back down!" His pulse quickened. "No, I mean, hearing you talk is like the worst torture ever! Please let's talk more, so I can repent of my sins!"

With a benevolent grin (that nonetheless seemed ghoulish with his horns and gleaming eyes) Chagama looked down at the huddled dog. "You're a fun one." No amount of flattery, however, would be able to soften the heart of a hellhound! "Turn around, sinner. Lay on your back and accept your punishment like a penitent mortal. You might not be here forever, but I doubt you want to be here for longer than necessary."

That was true. And Coal knew by now that disobeying his tormentor was a bad idea, so he reluctantly turned over. The palpably warm ground, though hard, was calming his sore muscles. With a shudder the husky closed his eyes, though didn't dare to lose sight of Chagama for long. "W-what are you going to do with me...?" he asked and then swiftly figured the answer out when one of the hellhound's large, broad paws came down on his belly.

"Mm, soft." With a gentle, testing prod Chagama made to climb his victim, which, if put next to each other, would barely reach up to the hellhound's shoulders. Coal was but a pup beside him, much leaner too!

"Wait! Wait!" In panic he clutched the black and white paw, before its owner got the chance to mount him. "How is this supposed to help me find salvation? I... we... Let's do something else, yeah?" The poor husky's heart pumped like mad in his chest. "Please, call back the imps if you must..." He closed his eyes and waited for a miracle. "AURRRGH!" Then Chagama's warm, supple pads sank deep into his stomach. Even though he saw it coming, the weight was so overpowering that Coal's abs failed to soften Chagama's descension. "Awwrgh! Stop! Ugh-getoff!" But naturally, the hulking hellspawn would not do him the favor. Instead he brought his other paw down as well and tiptoed about on Coal's belly, until his heavy soles covered the husky's entire midsection evenly. "Please, spare me!"

Chagama only grinned. "How about you confess some more of your sins to me?" Slowly he then began to knead the flattened dough that was Coal's belly. He was absolutely aware of his superior weight and shamelessly abused the fact with nothing but delight, while the husky beneath his paws gasped for air. "It's okay. I know it's not easy to admit your misdeeds, so take your time. I've got your back!"

Though currently, Coal was more busy with trying not to spill his innards. "Aurgh! How the fuck am I supposed to, ourkch... talk about, Hrgnnnn! Huff, huff... P-please, ugh, this is too much!" By the feel of it, Chagama indeed had his back - all the fucking way through his front!

Idly the hellhound marched on, each of his tiny steps sending Coal's guts from one side of his abdominal cavity to the other and back again. "That's the weight of your sins, mortal. Accept them. Embrace them. Admit them. Repent!"

Writhing on the dusty ground, Coal took his hands from Chagama's ankles when he realized he couldn't make them budge, and instead slammed his fists against the unyielding stone he lay on. "I am! Hrch... I already did! Ghauw!" His belly was both, hot and cold at the same time from those murderous steps, and the skin around the area felt stretched. He was particularly sore where the monster's claws, uncharacteristically pointy for a canine, chaffed his skin. "Auh-hurrrgh!" Breathing hurt.

"No, mortal. You can't just recite your sins like a litany. This isn't one of your upper worldly puppy games where you can get off the hook with an Ave Maria. I will make you feel your sins until you are chastened." Cruelly he leaned up onto his toes to drive them into Coal's abdomen and gained a particularly agonized cry. "Just imagine how your friend must have felt while you were giving him such a hard time. He deserves justice. You deserve justice!"

Almost threateningly Chagama raised his brutish paws higher, until Cola could get a glimpse of his unearthly red-colored pads. They looked velvety, though he knew by now that they didn't feel soft at all. Feebly the husky tried to raise his hands. "No, please don't!" But the hellhound's paw naturally came down again. It landed on his chest in the form of an ungentle, uncaring step that caved Coal's ribs in. "HRRRCHK!" Chagama's other paw settled on the other side of his compressed ribcage soon after to rob him of his breath entirely. "Hfffffffffffff..."

Coal's tantalizer was adamant and peered down on him without the slightest trace of guilt, or mercy, but with a contented smile. "There is no need to hold back. Share with me your darkest secrets, Coal. You can trust me. What happens in Hell, stays in Hell. For all time. Always."

Though the husky's ability to speak was now entirely suppressed by Chagama's weight. The demonic creature that stood on top of him slowly faded into a blurred from of black, red and white, while Coal's head began to throb. "Kpffff...!"

"Don't worry," Chagama said in a soothing voice. "No one succeeds on their first day. We have time..." Again one of his paws lifted.

And like a gentle touch it came down on the husky's shaking head, to pin his nose, cover his face and then force his skull to the ground with enough pressure to smash a pumpkin. Coals vision went black, his hearing was reduced to the frantic hammering inside his chest. His breath was stuck and his brain tingled. Then eternal darkness fell over him.


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"Wakey, wakey, little sinner!" Chagama chanted in his usual, happy tone.

Coal rose with a groan from the hard, rocky floor. Meanwhile his eyes adjusted swiftly to the dimly lit Underworld and, as usual, his maltreated body felt fresh and was released of all its former afflictions. He stood, though his shoulders slouched. And instead of greeting his tormentor, Coal rather wanted to save his breath for today's atonement. He'd long lost any feeling of shame, or embarrassment in front of Chagama, this ghoul knew all his dirty sins by now. Coal had repeated them many times.

"Today is your forty-first day of the rest of your afterlife," Chagama informed, as he always did. "And since it's such a nice weather, why don't we start the day with a little jog, hrm?"

With a tired sigh, Coal bent his knees, bowed his back and raised his arms for the hellhound to hop on. "I would like to tell you how sorry I feel about having been such a bad dog during my lifetime, while we go. Would that be alright?"

"Of course!" With a joyous bounce, Chagama jumped onto Coal's back and made him topple forward a few paces from the impact. "How about we take the scenic route by the magma river today? I think it's a nice place to reflect on your pre-death."

With his arms firmly tucked under Chagama's strong, legs, Coal used all his might to straighten himself again. His passenger bore down on him like a block of lead, though he nonetheless took his first step forward. "A-as you wish..." And laden with the burden of his evil deeds, Coal began to do penance.

Over time, it even felt relieving to confess to Chagama - in some way at least. The hellhound wasn't judging at all - he'd said Coal already was through judgment. In fact he was rather encouraging and seemingly endlessly patient. Coal still wasn't sure whether he really deserved all that Hell bestowed upon him, but there couldn't be done much about it. Just as with life, afterlife apparently also wasn't meant to be easy.

Now that he thought about it, Coal had surprisingly little trouble with accepting his death, or the fact that he woke up fresh as a daisy whenever Chagama, after an incredibly long and painful day of suffering, had robbed him of his consciousness. The first few times were pretty intense, but after his first dozen of restarts, the husky got accustomed to the literal endlessness of his torture. By now he felt pretty broken. When Chagama had revealed to him that many sinners spent entire decades in Hell, some even centuries, Coal found it hard to believe than any soul could ever take this much abuse.

He'd asked, of course, how long his own soul would have to endure in damnation, but his assigned hellhound never gave an answer to that. He said he was only here to punish, not to judge.

At some point during their trip, an unusual sound traveled through the vast caverns of Hell to Coal's ears. Chagama had heard it too and listened intently with perked ears, while the husky had trouble to understand. It sounded like a confusing mess of wolfish howls and outright infernal barking that was carried though the air to reach every corner of the Underworld. It had to be many hellhounds to create such a cacophony.

"Hch!" With a soft gasp of happiness, Chagama's tail began to wag. "I haven't seen him in decades. Aww, it's such a shame we're so far off..." Without a word of warning or further explanation, the large canine slid off of his mount, hurried forth a few excited paces to position himself on a flat boulder and joined the unholy bellowing with his own intimidating, if slightly high-pitched voice.

Exhausted, coal dropped to his knees when the weight left his crooked form. Under other circumstances he might have asked what was going on, but in over forty days now, this was the very first moment he got a chance to rest. He wouldn't waste this precious moment!

For a few seconds nothing seemed to happen, though eventually Chagama broke his howl to gasp even louder than before. Coal blinked when the tall, brutish figure that had brought him nothing but terror and pain, suddenly knelt down with a bowed head. The husky's first thought was that Satan, the Prince of Darkness, himself was coming for his soul now, though after a moment he too noticed what the hellhound was able to perceive instinctively: The deep, black clouds of smoke above them broke and a golden light came through, softly falling down into the deepest depths of Hell like a holy spotlight.

Coal's eyes followed the flimsy ray and then widened when he found it shining down upon Chagama's genuflected form - and that the hellhound was not alone anymore! The golden glow was so powerful and bright that it was hard to make out with Coal's sore, undead eyes, but in front of Chagama stood someone. A very small someone, with very huge ears. He, she, or it seemed featureless, though the brilliant light emanating from the epiphany drew a gentle, vulpine silhouette.

The hellhound kept his eyes lowered and a stiff pose, though his tail was wagging like that of a happy pup and an unadulterated smile split his muzzle cheek to cheek. On its tiptoes the golden figure came forth, though even then Chagama had to bow further for it to reach his horned forehead for a benevolent kiss. By now his tail was swirling like the rotor blades of a helicopter! And as though a lightning had struck the scene, the holy light was gone entirely and Coal's blinded eyes were lost in darkness.

When his vision slowly returned, the flat boulder in front of him was empty, though Chagama approached him with nothing but joy in his features. Completely flabbergasted Coal pointed at the now deserted boulder. "Ah-is-was that...?"

"The one and only!" he nodded proudly. "Oh, today is the best day ever!" All but jumping from happiness, Chagama's big, strong hand deftly seized the husky's wrist and pulled him from the floor.  Then his fingers snapped and black smoke rose around them. "You are dead lucky, you know that?! Come, let's go!" And before Coal even got a chance to object, he was sucked into the ghostly fume.

Chagama's handy, little subspace transport spit them out (quite literally in Coal's case) in a place that didn't look terribly different than the one they had just left. It was a bit hotter here and the ceiling seemed to be way higher now, but the dismal, rocky landscape remained the same, safe for two significant distinctions! The first one was an enormous, black iron gate, the size of the Flatiron Building in Manhatten, decorated top to bottom with creepy reliefs of fighting hellhounds, rampaging demons, tortured souls and calamity in general. It was bordered by a chiseled frame of black granite that stretched out into the rest of Hell with an almost organic feeling. The other thing that stood out, was even more dreadful!

A giant mountain sat before the Gates of Hell, though its hue didn't match with the rest of the bedrock all around. That was because the mountain was not made of stone, but of flesh! It was of canine shape, though other than Chagama, it wore no fur, just a pitch black hide. The monster had a tail as long as a river, paws large enough to sink warships and a hellfire burning inside his chest that diminished everything Chagama could spout, to nothing but a spark. Of course the massive being also had three heads.

Weren't it for the fact that he might attract the colossus's attention, Coal might have screamed. Though he held his breath - in marked contrast to Chagama, who approached the Cerberus with a wave. "Hello, papa! Long time no see. Since my birth, actually - you could have written a card at least! Anyway, I don't mean to bother you for long, just need to slip through your little door real quick."

Cowering, the husky ducked away behind the hellhound. "S-seriously?! This is your father?!"

"Yeah. Now pssssht. Let me do the talking, I think we caught him in a good mood."

The rightmost of the Cerberus' six eyes slowly rolled over to focus on the, in comparison, outright tiny hellhound. The head - just the one - then uttered a deep, thundering snarl that exposed teeth beyond any simile and shook the entire Underworld like an earthquake.

Coal clung to Chagama's back, while left and right of them boulders the size of airplanes fell from the ceiling, that might as well have caved in entirely. "You call this a good mood? Shit, what are we even doing here?!" Without a plan, Coal followed Chagama as he walked towards the massive gate, even though he much rather wanted to go the other direction, away from the Kaiju that could annihilate him with a sneeze.

"Now, now, keep your hair on, pops. I'm not joking!" Quite importantly he raised his white index finger far up into the air. "I'm here on an official mission. Approved and authorized - ask your boss!" Confident in his doing, the boisterous hellhound kept marching for the gate, anxious Coal in tow.

The fiery eye, similar to Chagama's own, though bigger and burning with a brighter orange hue, turned away dismissively and the resting Cerberus moved one of his humongous paws, although just slightly. Then all his gleaming eyes were trained intently on the gate, which began to move with a deep, ominous and distant sounding creak of metal so huge and heavy that it resounded like thunder.

Coal peered around Chagama's shoulder and saw a gap opening in the tall door. It was just a gap, but once they approached it, the crack was wide enough to drive through. Fresh air wafted through the opening, though once the husky could see what lay on the other side, he couldn't see anything. What lay beyond was a pitch black darkness without light, shapes, or depth. This felt like a forbidden place and Coal's fur bristled as the crisp breeze turned to an icy sting. Why was he led here? What lay beyond this gate? Was there anything at all, or would this be his last moments as a thinking, feeling soul before he turned to stardust?

"Alright, in you go!" Chagama said, lighthearted as ever and made way for the dog with an inviting hand gesture.

Though Coal stood still, transfixed on the endless void he stared into. With a cold shudder, he shook his head. "N-no... This is-- GHA?!" A vigorous blow to his back, unexpectedly shoved him forward.

The last thing Coal could hear was an impertinent hellhound, "Hurry up already, it's getting cold in here!"

Then...

WRRRHOOOOSH!!!

A thundering tempest tore past the husky's face, tousling his fur, shaking his body and only barely missing to take with it his nose as though he stood too close to the tracks when a bullet train shot through the station. Just that this wasn't a train - It was a semi that rumbled over the street. Only when its honking faded in the growing distance, Coal's heart began to beat again. His knees gave in. His butt hit the sidewalk. There was light. Fresh air. A sky!

"Oh my God, Coal, are you alright?!"

A tiny spot of warmth touched his shoulder and Coal flinched. He knew that voice.

"Didn't you see that the light is red?! That fucker nearly hit you!"

"L-Limon...?" He blinked into his friend's worried face, those gentle amber eyes feeling strangely normal to him for some reason. Above his giant, perked ears the old traffic light was flickering red indeed. And when the flabbergasted husky saw down, once he noticed a soft rustling in his palm, his fingers held a candy bar. "Coconut crunch..."

"Did he actually grace you with his side mirror?" the fennec asked and checked Coal's forehead, though couldn't find any injury. He then grabbed his arm. "Get your ass of the floor now."

"Maybe he's having one of those near death experiences?"

And just like that, the ground beneath Coal's butt was collapsing to drag him back down to Hell. He knew that voice too! That smokey, cheery voice. It couldn't be! He couldn't be real! Though when he eventually dared to look up, Coal gazed right into Chagama's grinning, horned face. His gleaming red eyes filled him with fear and panic. Was this one of his mind tricks to torture him? No. This felt even realer than the vague memories he had of the Underworld.

"Ah, he's a tough dog!" Limon said with a dismissive wave, then jolted Coal's shoulder again. "Though he does look a bit spooked. Didn't you have breakfast? Maybe some sugar will help?"

"Nargh!" With a sudden jump the husky rose to his paws and swiftly pushed the candy bar into Limon's hands. "I don't even like coconut!"

A bit surprised, Limon accepted the violent gift. "And he's back to normal. Hrm... almost anyway." His friend still appeared a bit flustered - despite the fact that coconut was one of Coal's favorite snacks for some inexplicable reason. It might have been the near accident, but for some reason the husky looked at the concerned passerby as though he was a ghost. When Limon followed his line of sight to take the guy in, he understood why and had to check himself lest he'd stare too much himself. Though he definitely did stare a little bit and cracked a cunning grin up to the towering canine. "Nice cosplay, is there a convention going on somewhere?" He offered his hand. "I'm Limon." Coal's little stupor could wait for another minute, this dashing bloke had top priority now!

"Chagama," he said and outright dwarfed the fennec's tiny hand in his own. "Nice to meet you! Now, I don't know about any ongoing cons. But if there is I'd like to go."

The fox's left ear flicked. "Chagama?" he repeated. "Never heard that name before. You're not from around here, are you?"

With a wide smile, he shook his head. "No, I just got here. I'm on vacation! Can you believe that?!"

"Well, nice to have you over!" Limon said and took the chance to ogle the striking canine more thoroughly. Chagama's worn pants fitted his general monster-like aesthetics and that long, bare chest made the fox's mouth water. Definitely not a shy boy and he's got the body to show off! Though Limon in particularly squinted his eyes at those of the wolf. "That fur dye is lit, dude! And are those contact lenses? It looks super real."

"Dye...?" Chagama wondered and saw down on himself.

Meanwhile, Coal couldn't believe what was going on. He had serious trouble recalling what exactly it was that Chagama had done to him, but he was one hundred percent sure he knew this hellhound and he was one hundred percent sure he knew him from Hell! It all felt like a distant dream now, but that outlandish brute stood there in flesh and blood. Carefully he blocked Limon's shackled view and pulled the fox aside. "Pssst! Dude, he's real! He's a real hellhound!" he whispered behind his hand.

The fennec, though, wouldn't be stopped. "You know each other?" Giving his buddy the cold shoulder, Limon turned right back to the more fascinating lad. "So a hellhound, eh? I like it!"

"Aw, thanks! I'm glad," Chagama said with a wag of his tail.

"But for real now, how did you attach the horns? Is it a clip, or did you glue them on?"

With a big grin, the hellhound put a thumb to his chest. "No glue, I'm all authentic!"

"Uh-hu. Of course, Hellboy!"

After further being called into question, Chagama hunkered down and bowed his head to the small fox. "See for yourself."

And quite readily, Limon did so. He got a kick out of how small this hunk had to make himself to come down to his level. And with excitement his keen nose discerned the guy's earthy, sooty scent that carried an underlying note of something spicy, like curry, herbs, or a balm of sorts. Then he inspected the horns. Gently he put a finger to one, so as not to damage the finely crafted costume. Though when the horn felt hard and didn't budge at all, Limon prodded a bit firmer with the same result. Inquisitorially he brushed Chagama's black fur aside to inspect the horn's base and was stunned to find that the appendage indeed grew from his skull.

Nervously Coal pulled on his friend's shirt. "I told you so. C'mon, let's leave..."

"Oh my GOD!!!" Limon blurted out. "You are a re-- hmphf?!"

"Don't say that!" Coal warned as he clasped his hands around Limon's muzzle. He had trouble remembering, but he still knew clearly that bad things happen when Chagama was to hear that name. Though when he fearfully peered down at the still crouching hellhound, he wore his typical grin, with no more bloodlust in his burning eyes than usual.

Chagama rose to his full height again with a soft chuckle. "Chill your base, we're not in Hell here. And I'm on vacation, besides!"

Stubbornly Limon wrest his muzzle from Coal's grip and scolded the husky. "No, no! You're not going to keep me away from your charming and incredibly handsome new friend! Chagama and I are getting along so well and we'd like to know more about each other, am I right?!" he asked the hellhound in question.

Chagama only smiled down at the fox, then turned his menacing eyes to Coal. "I like this one."

"And this one likes you too!" Limon assured. "So, you're a real hellhound? A real hellhound from Hell?"

"Yep."

"Can you spit fire?"

"Uh-hu!"

"Can you show me?"

"Maybe later."

"Will you turn to dust or something, if you walk into a church?"

"No. There is no such thing as holy ground on earth and even if there was, I'd be able to go there. I'm a holy creature!"

"How can you be holy, you have devil horns?!"

"The devil, as you surfacers depict it, does not exist. Also, now I've got a question for you: How many volumes of Dungeon Meshi are released already? Hell is terribly behind on news. I wish we had internet down there!"

Like an invisible ghost, Coal was disregarded as the two crossed the road. The traffic light has gone from red to green to red and back to green again by now. "Uh, hey... Limon wait!"

Though of course the fox did not. He grabbed Chagama by his thumb and led him on. "I'll show you to a big book store, they have plenty of manga there. Do you like manga? Also, do you have a place to stay already?" With a swift glance over his shoulder the fox shot an annoyed, "Get a move on already!" to the doddler dog.

Reluctantly Coal set himself into motion. Though not without looking left and right this time! He had a bad feeling about tagging along with Chagama, but this was his way home and he didn't have anywhere else to be. And besides, as a good friend he couldn't allow Limon to wander off with some hellhound unsupervised - the world might be in danger! And... Limon too. 

As he caught up to the two, Coal could feel Chagama's intense gaze linger on him briefly. "You've been given a second chance, sinner. You better don't chuck it away!"